About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Greene County, New York, have a job
In Greene County, 17.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 67% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greene County's score
In Greene County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 56.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 28.4. About one in 27 people (3.7%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Greene County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Greene County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 56.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.5% · fiscal year 202748th percentile
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- 42.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 40.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.8% · August 202533rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121.1 · 202547th percentile
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- 30.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.7% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 28.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.3% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance3.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,124 · 202421st percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Greene County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Greene County, 24.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greene County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Greene County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 20.6% in 2004 to 25.2% in 2009.
In Greene County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 23.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Greene County, New York, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.2% in 2015 to 8.5% in 2016.
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 6.5% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Greene County, New York.
How Greene County has changed
Greene County's population had its largest rise, from 33,077 in 1969 to 38,501 in 1974.
Greene County's population rose 42% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 49,372 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greene County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Greene County rose 16% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 14,384 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greene County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,287 | 2024 $79,124 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Greene County's history
1800
Created March 25, 1800, by partitioning 360 square miles from Albany County and 270 from Ulster County. Wikipedia
1989
A tornado in July 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 49,221. The 2020 Census counted 47,931, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in August 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in August 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flood in December 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1987
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greene County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Greene County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Greene County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Greene County ranks 3rd of the six; Delaware County is highest, at 29.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schoharie County, NY | 49 | 13.2% | 26.6% |
| Ulster County, NY | 47 | 12.7% | 22.9% |
| Delaware County, NY | 42 | 12.7% | 29.6% |
| Albany County, NY | 37 | 12.6% | 16.7% |
| Greene County, NY | 32 | 11.3% | 23.9% |
| Columbia County, NY | 28 | 11.1% | 20.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Greene County the poorest county in New York?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 47th highest of 62 in New York (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bronx County, at 28.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greene County ranks 51st of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Greene County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Greene County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Greene County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.